Students Selected for International Exchange

Three students from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo have been selected for the 2001-2002 University of the Ryukyus (UR) Short-term Student Exchange Program (URSEP). Kim Hyunjeong, a senior majoring in linguistics, Benjamin Graham, a junior pursuing a degree in business administration, and Aaron Chitwood, a sophomore majoring in Japanese studies are the first students from UH Hilo chosen to take part in the program.

The University of the Ryukyus, located on the Island of Okinawa, was established in 1950 and remains Japan's only national university. UR has six facilities, which include: Law and Letters; Education; Science; Medicine; Engineering; and Agriculture. The University actively promotes research and education in the fields connected with the subtropical region through the work of its Tropical Biosphere Research Center.

Hyunjeong, Graham and Chitwood will attend the fall semester, which begins October 1, 2001 and concludes on March 31, 2002. Their studies will encompass a wide variety of areas including Japanese Language and Culture, International Relations, Law and Business in Contemporary Japan and Okinawan Culture.

Each student will receive an Association of International Education, Japan (AIEJ) Scholarship. The award includes round-trip airfare, a settling allowance and a monthly stipend."We're very pleased to have three of our students chosen for this prestigious honor," said Dr. Youngki Hahn, director of international affairs at UH Hilo.

"Student exchange programs like this will go a long way toward helping us expand our international student population while strengthening our cultural ties with other countries."